Help! Nasty washing machine smells.

I had a terrible smell in utility room. Thought it was drains. Paid plumber £70 to come and then he told me it was dead mouse in cupboard, which he would not deal with. SIL to the rescue. Forever in his debt.

JanaNana how do you distribute the powder in the drum? I haven't used powder for years because I was fed up with white spots on the washing (exactly the same pattern as the holes in the drum).

Perhaps I could prevent these by putting powder in with the washing. I would so like to change back to powder - cardboard boxes, no plastic packaging.

Actually I used to have this problem when I used a wash liquid. After cleaning thoroughly and a couple of empty very hot washes with washing soda I have gone back to powder and hey presto ! No more bad smells!

I do at least 1 load of washing every day and sometimes 2. I always use biological tablets which I brake up a bit and wash all bedding, towels, whites for whole family on a 60 wash and add bio tex stain remover to washing powder to make white. I wash some colours/synthetics on 50 and a few delicates on 40. I wash white towels on 90 wash once a week. I use fabric conditioner in wash and my machine has never smelled. My dd washes on low heat and quick washes and i have noticed a few marks still on her washing when it has been washed. I don't say anything but when I am babysitting if dgs is unwell and she is at work I wash all of her white towels on a 60 wash and put in bio tex stain remover and do another load of tea towels and sheets on a 60 wash with bio tex and squirt with Vanish too if marked. She has looked at them puzzled when dry and commented they look whiter than when she does them. She works full time and looks after her house her dh and dgs and does not have the time that I have. Her machine smells a bit and I do think it is the non-bio powder and low temperature quick washes. I use soda crystals dissolved into hot water to clean out my fridge and I do dd too when she is at work.

Bleach and a 90 degree wash usually sorts mine out ,you could do your white cottons or just an empty m/c ,same effect.Nice and fresh

Part of the problem is that most washes we do these days are 40C or less which does not kill bacteria. I use Dr Beckmann's Service It every couple of months with a 60C wash and, together with always leaving the machine door ajar, it keeps my washing machine smelling nice and fresh. Dr Beckmann also does a Deep Clean product as well for washing machines, might be worth trying both of them if you are having serious problems with odour

We give our washing machine a hot wash with soda once a month. It cleans out all the pipes etc. We were advised to do this by a plumber because our sink was always blocking up. We also put soda down the sink leave for about 30 minutes and pour a kettle of boiling water down the plug we do this once a month too. The shower plug gets the same treatment.

www.dri-pak.co.uk/ I found this link yesterday. My washing machine wasn’t smelling but occasionally leaves dirty lines/marks on the clean washing when it comes out of the machine which is darned annoying because then I have to wash it again! I was looking in asda and found soda crystals - £1 for a decent sized bag. Found the website and then looked about for white vinegar in a spray bottle. Asda didn’t have any but Wilkos do - £1 a bottle! Great. So I cleaned the machine last night and will see what happens now. Fingers crossed ?

Fabric conditioner can have an adverse effect on the rubber pipes of the washing machine - the rubber softens and absorbs all sorts of smells, etc. You might find you need to have the pipes replaced.

Have you tried leaving the machine open until the drum has completely dried when you finish using it?

Doing so has solved the problem of the sour smell from my washing machine.

Run the machine on empty at highest temperature using one bio tablet every 8 weeks. Rest of the time, leave machine door open

Soda crystals to clean the machine and white vinegar instead of fabric conditioner. No need for expensive gloopy chemicals.

I've never had a problem although I use Fairy Non Bio pods but never use fabric conditioner. I have a washer/drier, wash at 40C. When I've emptied the washing machine I always clean around the door seal to make sure there is no water left behind, door is never fully closed. I hope all concerned find a solution. I don't have Bio powder in the house as I'm allergic to it

Do you use liquid tabs or liquid. I found my washer smelt awful after a few weeks of using them so went back to powder. The smell stopped.. Tried tabs again. Smell came back. Gone back to powder, stayed with powder, no problem since.

I had the engineer out some years ago. He said it's using gel and low temperature. His advice was to run a boil wash every now and then and maybe use powder or tablets, it worked.

The smelly dishwasher that wouldn't work, on the other hand - that was the dead mouse who got stuck half way up the drain pipe

My Bosch washing machine is 18 years old and I use it about 3 times a week and now only use Persil non bio liquid on a 30/40 cycle. As mentioned by other gn, I always dry the drum and leave the door ajar. Never had a smelly problem to date.

Just slightly off topic, does anyone else find that liquid tablets don't always dissolve and end up in a sticky mess on the laundry?

I have been advised, if using fabric conditioner (particularly the concentrated type) to add a capful of water to it. This has stopped my machine getting slimy & clogged. I also always leave the door open after the last wash of the day. About once every six weeks I run an empty hot wash cycle using powder bio. I haven’t had a problem with musty odours since doing this.

right..well..Ive poured half a bottle of zoflora lavender in wash drawer and run dusters through (stunk the place out ) lol..trouble is Ive come in house juts now and all I can smell is the zoflora so will see how it goes.

lol ?. Bikergran, you don’t do things by halves, do you?!!!!! I definitely said a capful on the cheap stuff each time you use the machine!

I never use fabric softeners now, just Dettol Laundry Cleanse. Because we can now wash at low temperatures it’s a perfect breeding ground for bacteria and using the Laundry Cleanse prevents this. This tip was given to me by a W/Mc engineer. I buy through Amazon.
Do you use the fabric sheets that enables you to do a mixed colours wash? I had an engineer out because of musty smells and machine didn’t seem to be draining properly. He fished out one of those sheets from the back of the filter, problem solved. Apparently this was problem he saw often.
His tip was use a safety pin and fasten to one of the garments before washing.

schicken lol have put that much stuff in now that the machine must wonder what the heck is going on..the smell doesnt seem as bad this morning when Ive got up but I will notice more when I have been out the house and come back in later today...we shall see..! I have the nicest smelling dusters lol

Lol ^*bikergran*! Mine is currently running at 60c with bleach-will see what happens after this. Dh says not too often with the bleach as it can damage rubber and certain types of plastic piping. How often is too often?!

What’s a duster?

JackyB ...I just put a large scoop of washing powder inside the drum at the start and then add the washing. It works in the same way as washing powder tablets which I used to buy at one stage which came with a small net bag to but them in. I then reasoned that just putting loose washing powder into the drum would work in the same way and it does. The liquid I use has a lid on the bottle which goes inside the drum with the measure of liquid in it.The powder is always used on a hot wash and does not leave any residue on the washing.

mancgirl my experience exactly, never use liquid sachets anymore, only Persil powder tablets.